Application of Concrete Brick Machines in the Production of Colored Pavement Bricks

With the continuous improvement of urban construction quality requirements, colored concrete pavement bricks have evolved from a simple decorative material into an important municipal product integrating landscaping, functional differentiation, and ecological environmental protection. From sidewalks and plazas to garden landscapes and eco-friendly parking spaces, the application scenarios for colored pavement bricks are becoming increasingly diverse.

However, the production technology threshold for colored pavement bricks is far higher than that for ordinary cement bricks. Industry research shows that if the production process of colored pavement bricks is not strictly controlled, a series of quality problems can easily occur, such as uneven thickness, inconsistent color, surface cracks, whitening, and large strength dispersion. How to achieve efficient and stable production of colored pavement bricks through technological upgrades and process optimization of brick machine equipment, and ensure that the colors remain bright for a long time, has become a core issue of common concern for brick machine equipment manufacturers and pavement brick production enterprises.

I. Colored Pavement Bricks: Not Just Beautiful, But Also Durable

The reason why concrete brick machines can shine in the field of colored pavement bricks lies in their flexible production capabilities that allow for multiple uses. By changing the molds, the same machine can produce a variety of products, including rainbow paving bricks, figure-eight hollow lawn bricks, permeable bricks, curb stones, and Dutch bricks, with a daily output ranging from 900 to 5400 pieces. Larger machines can even exceed 20,000 pieces per day.

The pigments for the colored surface layer mainly use three base colorants: iron oxide red, iron oxide yellow, and iron oxide green. These are mixed with white cement or colored cement and fine sand in a ball mill for 10 to 15 minutes according to a specific ratio. This process ensures the smoothness and color uniformity of the colored surface layer. The base material is composed of stone powder, waste stone, a small amount of ordinary cement, and a trace amount of curing agent, thoroughly mixed.

The colored surface layer material (measured quantity) is added first, followed by the base material to the mold frame plane. After hydraulic high-pressure composite molding, the bricks can be demolded. It is this "double-layer structure" design that gives the colored paving bricks both aesthetic appeal and strength.

II. Core Technical Requirements of Brick Making Equipment

2.1 Optimized Design of Vibration Molding System

The density of colored paving bricks directly determines their strength, wear resistance, and freeze-thaw resistance. For paving brick production using dry-hard concrete, vibration molding is a critical process. Research on brick machine vibration parameters shows significant differences in the required vibration parameters for different types of concrete: plastic low-flowability concrete requires vibration time of less than 20 seconds with an acceleration of 4-5g; dry-hard concrete requires vibration for 20-50 seconds with an acceleration of 6-7g; while extra-dry-hard concrete requires vibration for more than 50 seconds with an acceleration of 7-9g or even higher.

Therefore, high-quality colored paving brick machines should have adjustable vibration frequency and amplitude to adapt to different mix proportions and thicknesses. The application of a variable frequency vibration system allows the equipment to use low-frequency vibration during the material feeding stage to promote material flow, and switch to high-frequency, high-amplitude vibration during the molding stage to ensure density, thereby effectively avoiding surface cracks and strength dispersion caused by insufficient density.

2.2 Application of Double-Layer Laying Technology

Colored paving bricks typically employ a double-layer composite structure: a surface layer of colored concrete, approximately 10-20mm thick, providing decoration and wear resistance; and a bottom layer of ordinary concrete, providing the primary structural strength. This design ensures aesthetic appeal while significantly reducing production costs.

The core technology for achieving double-layer laying lies in a fully automated double-layer laying system. This system uses independently controlled fabric and bottom material laying carts to first lay the colored fabric, then the bottom base material, followed by a single vibration pressing process. Key technical requirements include: ① Fabric laying accuracy control error less than ±3%; ② Clear and non-mixing interface between the fabric and base material; ③ Precise synchronization of laying time and vibration cycle.

III. Color Preservation: The Core Technique for Keeping Vibrant Colors from Fading

What is the biggest pain point for colored paving bricks? Discoloration. Uneven pigment distribution during production, insufficient mixing during construction, acid rain erosion, dust accumulation all can cause the bricks to lose their color.

Tip 1: Long-lasting Color, Preventing Efflorescence and Whitening from the Source.

Efflorescence and whitening are the biggest "beauty killers" of colored bricks. Professional concrete brick machines, combined with dry, hard materials and a low water-cement ratio process, along with forced uniform mixing, stable molding pressure, smooth demolding, and standardized curing, effectively reduce efflorescence pathways and prevent problems such as pigment agglomeration, surface whitening, and powdering. Controlling the entire production process ensures that colored bricks do not effloresce, do not fade, and remain like new for a long time.

Tip 2: Eliminating "Inherent Deficiencies" at the Production End.

* Uniform Pigment Dispersion: Ball milling time should be no less than 10 minutes to ensure color uniformity.

* Quality Control of Binder: Inferior binders are the culprit for color difference and discoloration; products with strong acid and alkali resistance and weather resistance must be selected.

Thorough mixing: After prolonged standing, pigments of varying weights will gradually settle in the binder. Thorough mixing is essential before construction; otherwise, color differences will inevitably occur.

IV. Conclusion

With the expanding application of colored concrete blocks in emerging fields such as permeable paving and artistic flooring, the technical requirements for brick-making equipment will further increase. It is foreseeable that intelligent, flexible, and green technologies will be the future development direction for colored paving brick production equipment, while the stability and durability of color quality will remain the core benchmark for measuring a company's technological strength.